Post puller



0. F. MILLER POST FULLER June 7, 1949.

Filed April 15, 1946 1N VEN TOR.

/47'TOPNEY Patented June 7, 1949 UNITED sTArE-s eA-rr-ENT O-FFIGE POST PULLER Charles FiMillenoDenver',Colo.

,Apiilication April-JS, 1946; Serial' Nov 662,120

'- 6 Claims (C1J254-e-135) i Thisinventionrelatesto meansand'devices remplayable: in association: with' --various: f orms and sources of power to pull, uprootp'and -removably break: away :from ground "engagement posts, .poles, shrubs-g. brush; .small= trees; and-the like,: to :be displant'ed and has as an object to provide a. simple and convenient deviceior theatransmission ofeapplied power toveifectisuclnextractions.

miurther'objectof the-invention; is torprovide anavimproved-tfacilitys adapted: forazconvenient muse bya single operator: inrtheiapplicationi ofpowerto the displantinge of ground-penetrating elements.

a A further object iofvthezinvention is to. provide an improved v facility: for the: efiicient. direction: of li'orizontallyeapplied.powerrwtoiisubstantiallysverticali'tuprootlng .ieffect om; elements to; be: dis.- planted.

Acfurtherobjectrof theiinventiom is toi provide ran-improved: .fa'cilityafon :the; application. oi; horiazontally-directedpowereto: and withrenhanced selevatingreffecton elements toxbe' displanted.

. 1 A furtherrobjecta ofcthe1invention,,.is:.to provide an-improvedmprooting facility that. isusimplezand inexpensivezof manufactureg'aexpeditiousi andrconvenient. of use :efiicient attainment. of theends ,for which designed; and adapted for-rugged; dur- .1 able construction; from;readilyeavailable;:materials;

With the;foregoin z'andaother objectsnncview, myvinventlon COI'lSlStSZ'lll'l the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafter set forthppointed out'in' 'my claims, and illustrated by -.theaccompanying drawing, in

which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a typical embodiment of the "improvementas positioned and arranged for practical use in the uprooting ofa con- ;ventionalfence post, Figure,2 .isy'an elevation, on :ansenlarged scale, ofiandratiiright anglesitoirthe edevice.of:'Figur.e.,l... Figure 3. is .a top plan1view 4 :ofithe showing .oiFigure 2.

I :'.In lathe: 1 construction, .of: ithezgimprovement ;as shown, the numeral l designates a straight, rigid, elongate strut formed from any strong, durable material, such as metal, in a size proportion and weight suited to the particular use for which the device is intended; said strut, for maximum strength and rigidity relative to its weight, conveniently being a tubular member such as a length of pipe, tubing, or the like. One end of the strut l0 abuts against and is rigidly and permanently secured, as by means of welding, to the web outer face midportion of a channel section II thereby fixedly associated with, perpendicular to, and in uniform extension outwardly from the sides of 2' said strut. .with the parallel. channel..flanges .d-i.- rectedrparallel toitheiaxis andaway fromitheia-dejacent endxthereof. 1 'Toenhance operative rigid ,ity-and permanence of the assembly, :the outward.-

lyeextendingportions. of the section. I Lmay 'be bracedzto the strut Ill, asby means-of gusset plates l2', or. the like, secured to and) fillingzthe angles betweenuadjacentstrut lllaand rsectionill vportions.v Theuend of the strut-i Ill remote fromtthe 0 channel section ll is-capped; .plugged fir otherwise; 'worked v:tofixedly mount; support p051- .tion a notched plate. ort-furcatione l 3; diametrically thereof in a plane-.parallelingrthe-section l l length with ;its centrally-disposed notch: 14 opening, ax-

--15 ,ially; and--awayxfrom...-the adjacentend. of:- said strut; said notch Mabeingformed and sizedto receive and; engage about. .the central portion .ofla conventional chainlinkin aconventionalmanner operative to inhibit longitudinal displacement of ,theichain relative to the.tplate,.l3. A-t.a;-convenient .point 5 along. the strutJ ll. preferably .midwayebet-weentthe section I l-andplate l 3, .afrigid. banlfi is 'fixed) to-;saidr strutfor: projection .on v each side; of ,the latter inparall'elism with the section H, and

.suitablebraces. l 6 fixedlydntereconnectbetween outerportions of said bar andsaid struttorein- .force and stiffen the mountingthusformedlf' The portions of the bar I 5;projecting.laterallybeyond the .strutlt functionasarms adapted to engage ..-.against and partially: embrace the. element. to be uprooted to facilitate .which...purpose the bar. I 5 outer, ends arev desirably curvedtin the same directionaway from tliebar intermediate straightjporrtioncto form .open hook-s whichserve inuse' to clip Mover. one sideofan elementagainst whichithetbar Minisiengagedandhold the. strut. I llclosel'y adjacentrthe elementother. side.

1.1m; xtheactual. use; of the. improvement for-uprooting purposes, the. base section" I l; of the as- 0 sembly is. placed onthe ground insuitably spaoed relation .with. the base of "time element; such 'as a .ien-ce post, I l; to .be .eiztracted,v and the :strut. l0

. isthen tiltedrtowardrandpast said. element until one or the other of the ba'r'l5 lateral extensions 5 engages therewith. The arm of the bar l5 engaging the element holds the assembly from falling away therefrom, either forwardly or laterally, and frees the operator for further activities. A suitable chain, I8 is wrapped and snubbed about the base of the element I1 and thence led upwardly over the upper end of the strut l0, one of the chain links engaging in the notch 14 of the plate l3, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the section I l length and to connection with a source of power, such as a tractor, team of draft animals, Windlass, tackle, or the like, whereby strain tending to erect the strut may be applied to said chain. Obviously strain power-applied to the end of the chain I8 remote from the element I! acts to tilt the strut to upright position about the line of section I I engagement with the ground as a fulcrum, the bite of the channel flange against and into the ground serving to anchor the base of the assembly and thus prevent slipping, swinging the free end of the strut reversely past the element H and withdrawing the bar l5 from its contact with the element, during which arcuate travel of the strut E0 the chain length from the plate lit to the element ['1 base remains constant due to the chain link engagement within the notch l4 and the altitudinal rise of the strut upper end is made manifest as a powerful upward strain on said chain length tending to dislodge and elevate the element ll, the effective leverages involved materially augmenting the applied power. If necessary, successive lifts may be given to an element I! through successive settings of the strut relative thereto, the point of strut engagement with the chain [8 being altered or the point of chain engagement with the element being readjusted as required, and the potency of the elevating force may be readily fitted to a given need, within an operatively extensive range, by variation of the angle between the strut initial placement and the Vertical.

Since many changes, variations, and modifications in the specific form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

1. A post puller comprising a single rigid strut, a ground-engageable base on one end of said strut,

- a chain-engageable, notched plate on the other jection with the other end of the strut to selectively receive links of a draft chain end-secured to a member to be uprooted and thereby determine the angular disposition and consequent leverage of said strut, and fixedly-related, oppositely-extending, post-engageable arms projecting laterally from an intermediate strut portion.

3. A post puller comprising a single rigid strut, a perpendicularly-related, ground-engageable base fixed to and for projection oppositely from one end of said strut, ground-gripping flanges marginally along the under side of said base, a chain-engageable, notched plate fixedly projecting axially from the other end of the strut to selectively receive links of a draft chain end-secured to a member to be uprooted and thereby determine the angular disposition and consequent leverage of said strut, and fixedly-related, oppositely-extending, post-engageable arms projecting laterally from an intermediate strut portion in spaced parallelism with said base.

4. A post puller comprising a channel-section, ground-engageable base, a single rigid strut fixedly upstanding centrally from and perpendicular to the unchanneled web side of said base, a chainengageable, notched plate fixedly projecting axially from the strut free end to selectively receive links of a draft chain end-secured to a member to be uprooted and thereby determine the angular disposition and consequent leverage of said strut, and fixedly-related, oppositely-extending, post-engageable arms projecting laterally from an intermediate strut portion in spaced parallelism with said base.

5. A post puller comprising a channel-section, ground-engageable base, a rigid strut fixedly upstanding centrally from and perpendicular to the unchanneled web side of said base, a chain-engageable, notched plate fixedly projecting axially from the strut free end, fixedly-related, oppositely-extending, post-engageable arms projecting laterally from an intermediate strut portion in spaced parallelism with said base, and angularly-offset arm free end portions adapted to partially embrace a post therewith associated.

6. In a post puller having a rigid strut furnished with a perpendicularly-related, ground engageable base at one end and a chain-engageable, notched plate at its other end, means for non-slidably supporting said strut in inclined relation across and closely adjacent One side of a post to be uprooted, said means comprising ground-gripping flanges marginally along the said base under side, fixedly-related, oppositely-extending arms projecting laterally from an intermediate strut portion in spaced parallelism with said base for selective engagement against a post, and angularly-ofiset free end portions on said arms disposed to respectively partially embrace a post engaged by the associated arm.

CHARLES F. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 31,228 Davis Jan. 29, 1861 214,831 McGibeny Apr. 29, 1879 1,123,634 Whall Jan. 5, 1915 1,373,609 Frier Apr. 5, 1921 1,383,995 Paloheimo July 5, 1921 

